Bahraini photojournalist arrested

Bahraini photojournalist arrested

A Bahraini photojournalist was arrested on Saturday night

Sun, 30/12/2012

"Journalists: A Year of arbitrary dismissal" can be read on the sign of the Bahraini journalist who supports his colleagues have lost their jobs because of their coverage of demonstrations against the government (AFP)

A Bahraini photojournalist was arrested by plain-clothes police officers at one of the biggest malls in the country on Saturday, according to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR).

Around 15 security men arrested Sayed Ahmed Ridha Humaidan, 25, from the City Center shopping mall and took him to an unknown destination.

Humaidan had participated in anti-regime protests by exposing human rights violations against peaceful protestors through his photographs. The BYSHR expressed its fear thatHumaidan has been subjected to mistreatment due to his role in exposing the human rights violations.

Mohammed Al-Maskati, president of BYSHR said this morning to the Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF) that the photographer “called his family really late last night and informed them that he is held by the intelligence forces. Ahmed does not know the charges against him and does not know when he is able to see the public prosecutor.”

The Doha Centre for Media Freedom is joining the quest for information alongside the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, which calls for the immediate release of Humaidan.

“We are really scared for the safety of Humaidan because a lot of people have been tortured by the intelligence forces and maybe Humaidan is facing mistreatment for his truthful reporting,” added Al-Maskati.

Humaidan has won more than 140 international awards in photojournalism, and he is considered the second most successful Arab photographer in terms of photography competitions.

Bahrain Centre for Human Rights has previously stated that Bahraini journalists who have tried reporting on human rights abuses have been victims of physical or judicial harassment as well as torture, while others simply go missing. Moreover, over 60 journalists from pro-government newspapers have been sacked since Feb 2011, with none being reinstated so far.

Andrew Lwanga was beaten by a police official while covering a youth demonstration. He has suffered horrific injuries, and still awaits justice in his case, despite evidence seemingly proving his side of the story.